Your son should have received a call-around late Sunday night or this afternoon reminding him that there is no TROOP meeting tonight. Our Troop calendar said so and we are sticking to it. I must have been thinking 'long weekend' or something 11 months ago when we first published it. Also, I have not scheduled access to MCS tonight.
But, your patrol should have a meeting this week. Patrol meetings typically are pushed and held the following Friday evening or Saturday. Your patrol leader should have informed your Scout of that time and place. Please follow-up with your son to ensure he makes it to a patrol meeting this week and send him with his book to work on rank advancement. Younger Scouts should be ready to get: knots, lashings, and first aid signed off if they can demonstrate the skills to older (Life/Eagle) Scouts. Older Scouts can work on Emergency Preparedness and/or First Aid merit badge(s) which we will complete in December.
Important safety note. Please be aware we (Scout parents and licensed Scouts) often enter the MCS parking lot through the exit only driveway. This is habit and because the official entrance is often locked by 7pm. But please be aware that sometimes the school has other evening functions and that the MCS parents have been highly educated for 1-8 years to NOT enter the parking lot via the exit driveway. (Remember back to your son's elementary school days and the strict rules parents were given about drop-off zones etc.)
We need to all make it a new habit to drive by the official parking lot entry driveway first and use it if it is open...
saving the exit driveway only for occasions when the entrance is already locked.
Thank you for keeping us in good stead with our free arrangements at MCS.
Next Troop meeting at MCS on Dec 3. Following that is our year-end court of honor and Eagle Court on Dec 10
Garage Sale, Saturday Nov 10, 7am - 1pm, Berryessa School District Office across from Piedmont High School
This coming Saturday morning is another Troop 110 garage sale and we need help staffing the morning event between 7am and 1pm. Please call me Tuesday or Wednesday at 408-946-0984 and let me know if you can help for some or all of the morning. I have one parent signed up for the early set-up shift and one parent for the later morning shift, but need at least 2 more parents at the event at all times. Also, please plan to drop by any garage sale donations you have from your home and also ask you neighbors if they have anything to donate. If you can't drop off materials at 7am please arrange to leave them at John Power's or Jim Roach's house this week. Tax donation letters are available upon request. Garage sales have proven to be our most profitable fund raisers and help keep our operational costs under control. Your support is greatly appreciated. Call today and signup to help !!!
Pop Corn
We are wrapping up our annual pop corn sales event where 100% of the profit goes to the Scout's own camp fund that we manage for each and every Scout. Today is the deadline to call Jim Roach with any final orders you have received selling in your neighborhood or office. Next year's activities will more affordable for those with pop corn proceeds in their camp fund bank accounts.
Patrol Meetings
Your Scout should be participating in a Patrol Meeting at least once every month. They typically are help the weekend following a campout and not on a Monday but the following weekend. If you don't know when and where your Patrol meeting is then call your Patrol Leader and ask. Patrol meetings are where the smaller groups of Scouts prepare for their duties at future troop meetings and campouts and help younger Scouts learn skills and advance. Life and Eagle Scouts may sign off books for Scout badge through First Class. Parents may also review and sign off books but should first attend the free local training at the council office (just ask me or check the web site) http://www.scccbsa.org/html/calendar.html FYI, we have been working on Emergency Preparedness merit badge all together, we have been practicing the basic knots, and reviewing first aid in the book under Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class. These are items your Scout should be able to get signed off later this month.
Equipment
- There are troop tents in your garage or Scouts room, tents not returned since Yellowstone. Please look around for a 3 ft long blue bag that weighs 11 lbs and return them to the Quartermaster, Matt D.
- We have an updated copy of merit badge counselors. Please contact the troop librarian, Grayson S., when you need a counselor or wish to borrow a merit badge book.
Uniforms
We have increased our focus on being a quality troop and properly uniformed. The troop uniform should be worn to troop activities and that includes the new troop neckerchief. The Troop T-shirt is not the standard uniform and should not be your Scout's default. The troop T-shirt is great for activities, at summer camp, ... and on occasions when the SPL call-around notes that the T-shirt will be worn by all as a substitute for the uniform. Thanks for your support at home sending your Scout off properly dressed.
November Calendar Additions and Upcoming Events
- The Garage Sale this weekend of course- remember to call and sign up please.
- The following weekend the patrols will be distributing the Scouting for Food door knob flyers. Jon E. and the Owls are coordinating. Your Scout should plan to walk the neighbor hood for about an hour on Saturday morning, Nov 10th. Listen for announcements next week and ensure you know when and where your Patrol is meeting.
- Then comes our traditional Thanksgiving Feast on Nov 16 and Nov 17. Flyers have been distributed and more to come at Troop meetings. We encourage everybody to come for dinner: your entire family, extended family of grandparents and cousins..., and you may invite friends too. Look for more info from Matt S. and the Owls.
- We have requested but don't have an assigned date to volunteer this holiday season at the Giving Tree. More info to come.
2008 Activities
We are still accepting parent and Scout input for next year's plans. We have discussed at one troop meeting and one committee meeting already. Please forward any additional ideas to me via email or call. Note that there is a Scout contest for the best new game idea (must bring in game rules and explain it to us) and we are awarding a small camping lantern to the winner.
Congratulations
Two more Troop 110 Scouts have earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout. Congratulations to Ken G. and Tim T. whom both have recently passed their Eagle Scout board of review. Be looking for invitations to special courts of honor marking this significant milestone for Ken and Tim.
Thanks
To Jim K. for braving the eXtreme biking hills of Mt Tam on last month's campout. And thanks to all Scouts and parents that assisted Jon, Ryan and Matt with their Eagle service projects.
All of the above has been communicated at Troop meetings. Ask your Scout each Monday night what's happening to stay abreast of what's new and exciting at Troop 110. Scouts should call their Patrol Leader or SPL whenever they have questions. Parents are welcome to call me of course. Thanks.
Regards,
John
Check out the forms page for flyers about upcoming events for the scouts.
The links page has some interesting information, especially for merit badges and eagle scout projects.
Update 1/23/07 - new form for reimbursement added to "Forms" page. Check out the "Joining" section of our web pages and let me Webmaster Ken, know what you think about the additions.